NewzIntel.com

Category: Trump

  • MIL-OSI USA: Pocan Votes Against Cutting Healthcare, Food Aid for Millions

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Mark Pocan (2nd District of Wisconsin)

    WASHINGTON D.C. – Today, U.S. Representative Mark Pocan (WI-02) released the following statement after he voted against President Trump and Congressional Republicans’ scheme to rip healthcare away from 17 million Americans and take food away from millions of hungry people, all to pay for $4.5 trillion in tax cuts that overwhelmingly benefit millionaires and billionaires, which passed the House.

    “Today, Congressional Republicans put their billionaire donors ahead of their constituents. And now, millions of Americans across the country will suffer just so the richest Americans can get even richer. The numbers don’t lie: this cruel legislation will rip healthcare away from 17 million people, threaten food assistance for millions of Americans, increase household energy costs, and add trillions to the national debt, all to give a massive tax break to the wealthy. In Wisconsin alone, this bill could terminate the healthcare of over 270,000 people, reduce or eliminate food assistance for at least 49,000 Wisconsinites, threaten to close rural hospitals, and cause as many as one in four nursing homes to shut down. There’s a reason why this bill is polling badly. Congressional Republicans are having a hard time convincing everyday people that it will help them, because it won’t.”

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    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Pocan Corrects the Record on Van Orden’s Billion-Dollar Claims

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Mark Pocan (2nd District of Wisconsin)

    MADISON, WI – Today, U.S. Representative Mark Pocan (WI-02) released the following statement fact-checking Rep. Derrick Van Orden (WI-03) after a weekend of nonsense tweets, eight in total, claiming credit for earmarking Wisconsin’s hospitals $1 billion.

    “It’s rich that Rep. Van Orden is claiming credit for $1 billion coming to Wisconsin hospitals. I didn’t realize he was serving in the State Legislature and Congress simultaneously. It was a bipartisan majority in the State Assembly and the State Senate, as well as Governor Evers, that helped Wisconsin secure $1 billion by finally expanding the provider tax rate from one of the lowest in the country to the highest level possible. The State Legislature voted to expand Medicaid’s reimbursements to the states before Derrick, Congressional Republicans, and Trump could force through their devastating reconciliation bill that will cut $1 trillion from healthcare nationwide and could shutter rural hospitals across the state.”

    “I applaud both Governor Evers and the State Legislature for working together to get this done and help our rural hospitals.”

    “It’s clear that Derrick doesn’t understand the bill or legislative procedure when he claimed that he also helped secure an additional $500 million for rural hospitals. This provision came from a Senate amendment he had nothing to do with and was only included because Republicans felt pressure to put a band-aid over the bullet wound they are inflicting on rural hospitals by this bill. Moreover, there is no guarantee that Wisconsin will receive any or all of these funds, as award amounts have yet to be determined.”

    “You can’t create a problem and then claim credit for someone else’s help in making it slightly less horrific. He and his Republican colleagues are the reason this legislative fix was so necessary in the first place. The legislature’s actions will help lessen some of the impact, but certainly not all of the bill.”

    Background:

    Medicaid provider taxes are state-imposed taxes on healthcare providers, like hospitals. Wisconsin utilizes provider taxes to help fund its Medicaid program. The federal government matches that provider tax rate, which again helps fund the state Medicaid program.

    The One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBB) freezes certain provider tax rates, singling out Wisconsin and a few other states that had very low rates compared to the rest of the country. In response, the state rushed to increase that tax rate to ensure that they could be grandfathered into the reconciliation bill at the maximum level, thus enabling the state to receive approximately $1 billion in additional federal funding.

    Even with this fix, this legislation is still estimated to cause over 275,000 Wisconsinites to lose their healthcare.

    Additional Van Orden Tweets Claiming Credit:

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: WATCH: Padilla Pushes for Additional Federal Disaster Aid on Six-Month Anniversary of Los Angeles Fires

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.)

    WATCH: Padilla Pushes for Additional Federal Disaster Aid on Six-Month Anniversary of Los Angeles Fires

    WATCH: Padilla details important progress made in aftermath of devastating LA fires, criticizes major FEMA cuts

    LOS ANGELES, CA — Today, U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), co-chair of the bipartisan Senate Wildfire Caucus, joined Governor Gavin Newsom, First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom, and federal, state, and local leaders to recognize the six-month anniversary of the devastating firestorms that hit Los Angeles in January, as well as the progress made and steps being taken to rebuild and restore impacted Southern California communities. Padilla vowed to keep fighting to secure additional disaster assistance for California and blasted the Trump Administration for dismantling key federal disaster programs.

    Fueled by wind gusts of up to 100 miles per hour, the Los Angeles County fires earlier this year burned more than 40,000 acres — an area over three times the size of Manhattan. The fires destroyed over 16,000 structures, forced tens of thousands of residents to evacuate, and took at least 30 lives.

    Months later, the fastest disaster cleanup in American history is substantially complete, with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Small Business Administration, and Environmental Protection Agency among the federal entities helping Los Angeles communities rebuild. Household Hazardous Waste (HHM) has been removed from 100 percent of EPA-deferred properties, and the Army Corps has cleared over 9,000 lots of fire ash and debris in the Eaton and Palisades burn zones.

    However, Padilla emphasized that more aid is needed to help Los Angeles communities recover, highlighting that “Mother Nature does not discriminate — natural disasters can impact any state, any region in the country, regardless of your political leanings,” as underscored by the tragic flash floods in Texas that have taken more than 80 lives. As California enters peak fire season, Padilla criticized the Trump Administration for their plans to completely dismantle FEMA, diverting critical firefighting crews from the California National Guard away from their core missions, and targeting immigrants and day laborers who work in essential sectors for rebuilding Los Angeles.

    Representatives Judy Chu (D-Calif.-28) and Brad Sherman (D-Calif.-32) also spoke at the press conference. Key excerpts from Senator Padilla’s remarks are available below.

    Key Excerpts:

    • “It’s hard to believe it’s been six months. Los Angeles has been through a lot. Our country has been through a lot. Our communities are going through a lot, but if the teamwork of this year to date is any indicator, I know we’ll continue to get through. We’re going to get through, and we’ll be stronger and more resilient than ever in so many ways.”
    • “Our hearts go out as Californians to the people in Texas who have suffered so much this last weekend, those who have lost loved ones because of the flash floods, and those that are just so anxious, waiting to account for missing friends and family. It is an absolute reminder that Mother Nature does not discriminate. Natural disasters can impact any state, any region in the country, regardless of your political leanings. Californians have risen up and stood for other Californians who stood up for neighbors across the country time and time again, and I know we will continue to do so after this tragedy.”
    • “When I described to my colleagues that, yes, this was more than three times the size of Manhattan that was burned, it is truly unprecedented. When the fires broke out, we saw so many first responders, local law enforcement, fire department personnel, and others quickly jump to the scene, and through mutual aid, so many from throughout the state and throughout the country come to the aid of Southern California. I don’t know if we’ll ever be able to quantify how many lives were saved as a result. How many properties were saved as a result? And so six months later, we continue to say thank you, ­­thank you, thank you.”
    • “This is the time to be investing more in FEMA and empowering FEMA, not attacking FEMA or threatening to eliminate FEMA because the people of Texas are relying on FEMA as we speak. We’ve come to appreciate FEMA even more. Again, no region of the country is immune.”
    • “And this is also the time, as California has done for so long, to respect and honor the contributions of so many immigrants in our communities, because many of them work in construction. They’re the construction workers that we need to continue the rebuilding process for our communities. This is absolutely not the time to threaten or terrorize construction workers and their families in our community.”
    • “I’m proud to represent California. California will always answer the call to help our neighbors. … I’ll continue to fight for the communities of Pasadena, Altadena, the Palisades and others that have been impacted this year.”

    Video of Senator Padilla’s remarks is available here and can be downloaded here.

    Senator Padilla has fought relentlessly to secure and protect access to desperately needed disaster relief aid for families in Southern California. In the immediate aftermath of the Los Angeles fires, Padilla and Senator Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) led 47 bipartisan members of the California Congressional delegation in successfully urging President Biden to grant Governor Newsom’s request for a major disaster declaration to expedite timely relief to Los Angeles County residents impacted by these disasters. Padilla, Schiff, and Representatives Ken Calvert (R-Calif.-41) and Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.-18) also led the entire bipartisan California Congressional delegation in urging Senior Congressional leadership to provide additional disaster relief funding and resources to help Los Angeles County communities rebuild. Padilla previously delivered remarks on the Senate floor urging his Republican colleagues and President Trump to provide essential disaster recovery aid to California without conditioning it on the passage of partisan legislation.

    Padilla has introduced more than 10 bills to help prevent and respond to future wildfires, including the Senate version of the Fix Our Forests Act, bipartisan legislation to combat catastrophic wildfires, restore forest ecosystems, and make federal forest management more efficient and responsive. Padilla highlighted the legislation after joining federal and state emergency officials for a tour of the Pacific Palisades fire recovery area led by FEMA. Padilla also visited Altadena earlier this year, joining Senator Cory Booker (D-N.J.), FEMA, local leaders, and representatives from the Small Business Administration, Environmental Protection Agency, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for a tour and briefing on cleanup and recovery efforts in the aftermath of the Eaton Fire.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Ranking Members Padilla, Morelle Continue to Demand Answers on Critical Election Security Oversight

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.)

    Ranking Members Padilla, Morelle Continue to Demand Answers on Critical Election Security Oversight

    Lawmakers continue demanding answers on status of agency’s election security work after insufficient responses, blown deadlines to multiple letters regarding CISA firings and termination of election security efforts

    WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration, and Representative Joe Morelle (N.Y.-25), Ranking Member of the Committee on House Administration, reiterated their demands for a copy of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency’s (CISA) review of its election security work, as well as a status report of their election-related work and personnel.

    “Despite public claims that the agency continues to provide services to the election infrastructure community (including election officials and vendors) that are available to other critical infrastructure owners and operators, we have heard complaints that CISA staff may be afraid to work with state and local election officials and vendors for fear of retribution. If accurate, this is a very serious issue,” wrote the lawmakers.

    The Ranking Members sent three previous letters to CISA leadership regarding CISA’s pause on all election security-focused activities, the termination of funding for the Election Infrastructure Information Sharing and Analysis Center (EI-ISAC), and the firings of CISA employees who previously worked on election security, including misinformation and disinformation issues.

    “We remain seriously concerned with reports that CISA plans to cut some 1,300 staff—about half its full-time workforce—and another 40 percent of its contractors, and set a May 21, 2025 deadline for CISA employees to decide whether or not they would opt-in to a workforce transition program. Furthermore, it is our understanding that many employees have already begun the process of leaving CISA—or have already departed—and that restructuring may already be underway. The agency’s continued failure to provide any modicum of transparency to Congress and the public is unacceptable,” added the lawmakers.

    Padilla and Morelle concluded their letter by reminding CISA’s leadership of their responsibility to the congressional committees of jurisdiction for federal elections. In addition to a copy of CISA’s review, Ranking Members Padilla and Morelle demanded a substantive response to all oversight letters and a briefing on the findings of CISA’s assessment no later than July 21, 2025.

    Ranking Members Padilla and Morelle have strongly opposed efforts by the Trump Administration to undermine federal agencies’ election security work. In addition to their previous letters to CISA leadership, Padilla and Morelle expressed serious concerns about the dangerous implications for elections following President Trump’s executive order purporting to bring independent regulatory agencies under total control of the White House.

    Last month, Senator Padilla criticized the Trump Administration’s budget request that proposed a devastating 40 percent cut to the Election Assistance Commission and the complete elimination of all of its Election Security Grants funding to support state election administration as well as a dangerous 18 percent cut to CISA and the complete elimination of its $40 million Election Security Program. Padilla previously led 14 Democratic Senators in calling on Trump to revoke his illegal anti-voter executive order and issued a statement slamming the order when it was announced.

    Full text of the letter is available here and below:

    Dear Dr. Gottumukkala and Ms. Harrington:

    We write again seeking urgent updates on the status of election-related work at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA). Given the role of the Committee on House Administration and the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration as the committees with primary oversight jurisdiction over federal elections, we request answers to the questions included in this letter, as well as a comprehensive briefing on the status of CISA operations and personnel.

    CISA’s repeated failure to respond to our requests for information while undertaking a significant reshaping of the agency’s personnel and mission is unacceptable. We remain deeply troubled by the lack of information CISA has provided to congressional oversight committees and the lack of substantive responses to our questions.

    Despite public claims that the agency continues to provide services to the election infrastructure community (including election officials and vendors) that are available to other critical infrastructure owners and operators, we have heard complaints that CISA staff may be afraid to work with state and local election officials and vendors for fear of retribution. If accurate, this is a very serious issue.

    Election infrastructure is critical infrastructure and requires the same substantive assistance as other critical infrastructure sectors. As we have noted in prior letters and has been publicly reported, CISA has cut funding and personnel for election security, creating unacceptable doubts about the security of the elections subsector and the level of support and services election officials can continue to expect from CISA.

    We remain seriously concerned with reports that CISA plans to cut some 1,300 staff—about half its full-time workforce—and another 40 percent of its contractors, and set a May 21, 2025 deadline for CISA employees to decide whether or not they would opt-in to a workforce transition program. Furthermore, it is our understanding that many employees have already begun the process of leaving CISA—or have already departed—and that restructuring may already be underway. The agency’s continued failure to provide any modicum of transparency to Congress and the public is unacceptable.

    As we have reiterated in prior letters, CISA, and the broader Department of Homeland Security (DHS), have a responsibility to be transparent and responsive to congressional committees. While we continue to wait for comprehensive responses to our February 13, March 4, and April 17, 2025, letters, the continued staffing changes and funding cuts at CISA have resulted in additional questions.

    To that end, the New York Times reported on June 24, that Edward Coristine—the 19-year-old DOGE employee with a known history as a cybersecurity risk and who was reportedly involved in DOGE activities at DHS—recently resigned. The fact that this individual was still employed by the federal government and that you have failed to provide any meaningful response to our questions regarding DOGE’s access to CISA, raises serious concerns.

    We expect a comprehensive response to our prior questions and the additional questions below no later than July 21. Additionally, we reiterate our request for the latest copy of CISA and DHS’s review of its election security mission, and our request and expectation of a fulsome briefing on the agency’s assessment, including an update on prior, current, and expected changes at CISA, and a detailed explanation of the rationale behind such changes.

    Regarding CISA’s reorganization and personnel:

    1. What is the status of CISA’s reorganization?

    2. Who is responsible for the reorganization plan and its execution?

    3. What level of involvement did DOGE have in CISA’s personnel decisions?

    4. What access were DOGE employees granted to CISA’s information systems and data? What access do DOGE employees still have? What steps has the agency taken to ensure this data remains internal to the agency and secure?

    5. How many federal employees currently remain at CISA, excluding those who have opted into a workforce transition program? Please provide the numbers by division.

    6. How many CISA employees opted-into the deferred resignation program?

    7. How many CISA employees opted-into the Voluntary Early Retirement Authority program?

    8. How many CISA employees opted-into the Voluntary Separation Incentive Payment program?

    Regarding CISA’s election security work:

    1. Which division is currently responsible for CISA’s election security work?

    2. What is the status of the CISA/DHS assessment of CISA’s election security work?

    3. CISA has indicated that its assessment of election security work has not impacted the ability of election officials to access cyber and physical security assessments.

    a. How many requests for physical security assessments has CISA received from election officials since January 2025, and how many physical security assessments have been conducted?

    b. How many requests for cybersecurity assessments has CISA received from election officials since January 2025, and how many cybersecurity assessments has CISA conducted?

    c. Is CISA continuing to sponsor security clearances for election officials?

    d. Is CISA continuing to create and update products and guidance documents for the election infrastructure subsector?

    e. Is CISA continuing to provide election officials with cyber, physical, and operational security trainings and exercises?

    4. In May 2024, then-Director Easterly testified to Congress that CISA provided weekly Vulnerability Scanning reports to nearly 1,000 election infrastructure stakeholders identifying vulnerabilities and mitigation recommendations to improve cybersecurity of systems, such as online voter registration systems, and other election management systems. Is CISA continuing to provide Cyber Hygiene Vulnerability Scanning services for election infrastructure systems and networks?

    5. CISA did significant work to protect election infrastructure against the risk of foreign malign influence operations during the 2024 election cycle. What work does CISA plan to continue to do to protect election infrastructure from foreign malign influence operations?

    6. What steps has CISA taken to ensure that election officials and vendors know what services are still available to them?

    7. What is the status of the Election Infrastructure Subsector Government Coordinating Council and the Election Infrastructure Subsector Sector Coordinating Council?

    8. What is the status of the comprehensive evaluation of CISA’s activities over the last six years, and the joint report as ordered by the April 9, 2025, Presidential Memorandum entitled “Addressing Risks from Chris Krebs and Government Censorship”?

    The security of our nation’s election infrastructure is a vital component of our free, fair, and secure elections. We appreciate your attention to this serious matter and expect your answers no later than Monday, July 21.

    Sincerely,

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Amid Trump’s assault on public lands, California conserves over one million acres of land and coastal waters in just one year

    Source: US State of California Governor

    Jul 7, 2025

    What you need to know: California added area the equivalent of Glacier National Park to its conserved lands and coastal waters in just the last year – marking significant progress toward its goal of 30% conservation by 2030.

    SACRAMENTO – Governor Gavin Newsom today announced California protected over one million acres of land and coastal waters in the last year, marking significant progress toward the state’s goal of conserving 30% of its lands and coastal waters by 2030. The amount of land and water protected in the last year is equivalent to the size of Glacier National Park.

    Today’s announcement comes as the Trump administration continues its assault on public lands and National Parks. Last month, the Newsom administration sent a letter to the U.S. Department of the Interior warning of public safety risks and reduced access due to major cuts proposed to staff and programs that support National Parks and other federal public lands. In contrast, California is expanding access to the outdoors, investing in communities and laying the groundwork for further expansion.

    The state’s 2025 30×30 Progress Report released today marks the halfway point toward the state’s goal of conserving 30% of its lands and coastal waters by 2030. The report shows significant progress: as of June 2025, 26.1% of California’s lands and 21.9% of its coastal waters are now under long-term conservation and care, bringing the state well within reach of its 30×30 target.

    “President Trump and radical Republicans may not see the value of protecting our lands and waters but California does. We’ve conserved millions of acres of lands and coastal waters – adding an area equivalent to Glacier National Park in just the last year – and bolstered our partnerships with tribal nations and local communities. We’re proving that conservation isn’t just good for nature. It’s critical for people, too.”

    Governor Gavin Newsom

    Since Governor Newsom launched California’s 30×30 initiative in 2020, and with the passage of Senate Bill 337 in 2023, the state has made historic investments and thousands of Californians have come together to protect the landscapes that make California unique. The 2025 report shows:

    • An additional 853,000 acres of land and 191,000 acres of coastal waters were counted as conserved over the past year — equivalent in size to Glacier National Park.
    • Significant progress on 104 of the 112 action steps in the Pathways to 30×30 strategy, the state’s roadmap released in 2022 to guide implementation.
    • For the first time, major additions to marine conservation areas, following extensive tribal consultation, scientific guidance, and public input.

    “This progress report reflects years of hard work by thousands of Californians, from tribal leaders to ranchers, scientists to surfers,” said California Natural Resources Secretary Wade Crowfoot. “But it’s a midpoint, not a finish line but through continued work together we will achieve this important target.” 

    Key 2025 highlights include:

    • California funds record levels of conservation, including Wildlife Conservation Board grants supporting the acquisition of ~50,000 acres, with approximately $180 million state dollars leveraging around $120 million of funding from other sources. These investments conserve key wildlife corridors, wetlands and creeks; build infrastructure that ensures access to nature for all; and returns ancestral lands to California Native American tribes.
    • Increased tribal partnership through historic levels of ancestral land return, co-management agreements, and bringing beneficial fire back to the landscape to restore healthy forests. More than 150 years after California banned the practice of cultural burning, California can now enter into agreements with federally recognized tribes—honoring tribal sovereignty, healing historical wrongs, and benefiting biodiversity. The Karuk Tribe established the first agreement in February 2025, which empowered tribal cultural fire practitioners to conduct burns using Traditional Ecological Knowledge.
    • Passage of Proposition 4, the $10 billion Climate Bond approved by voters in November, which will drive continued progress on 30×30, climate resilience and wildfire preparedness.
    • The launch of a new marine conservation framework, adding thousands of acres of coastal waters as 30×30 Conservation Areas. This action plan identifies new potential 30×30 designations and engages with previously designated areas to ensure meaningful biodiversity outcomes and balanced sustainable ocean uses, where appropriate.
    • Recognition of California’s Marine Protected Area Network, a critical component of our 30×30 strategy in coastal waters, as the international gold standard for marine conservation. This network was officially accepted to the International Union for Conservation of Nature Green List of Protected and Conserved Areas, a high-profile international certification that recognizes the most successful examples of biodiversity conservation worldwide. 

    The progress outlined in the report reflects the work, leadership and deep collaboration among tribal governments, local communities, landowners, conservation organizations, scientists, and public agencies. Over the past three years, California has allocated more than $1.3 billion in state funding to support 30×30 implementation. This is on top of the state’s historic investment of more than $1 billion for expanding parks and nature access, including to Californians who live in underserved communities.

    Press releases, Recent news

    Recent news

    Jul 7, 2025

    News SACRAMENTO – Governor Gavin Newsom today announced the following appointments: Thanne Berg, of Albany, has been appointed Deputy Director of Site Mitigation and Restoration Program at the California Department of Toxic Substances Control. Berg has been Acting…

    Jul 7, 2025

    News Recovery moves into next phase with focused plan to fast-track reconstruction and support impacted communities What you need to know: Governor Newsom has announced that debris removal for the Los Angeles firestorm is now substantially complete just six months…

    Jul 4, 2025

    News Sacramento, California – Governor Gavin Newsom today issued a proclamation declaring July 4, 2025, as “Independence Day” in the State of California.The text of the proclamation and a copy can be found below: PROCLAMATIONEach year on the Fourth of July, we…

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Congressman Mike Lawler Delivers Historic Tax Relief with Passage of the OBBB

    Source: US Congressman Mike Lawler (R, NY-17)

    The OBBB protects Americans for the largest tax hike in generations, delivers historic tax relief to middle and working class families, strengthens Medicaid, lowers energy costs, and delivers record funding for securing our border.
    Washington, D.C. — 7/3/25…     Today, Congressman Mike Lawler (NY-17) issued the following statement after the House voted to approve the final version of H.R. 1, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, preventing the largest tax hike in American history and delivering long-overdue relief to middle- and working-class taxpayers.

    Following last week’s confirmation that the final bill preserved Lawler’s SALT compromise, raising the cap to $40,000 with a $500,000 income ceiling and 1% growth for five years, the bill returned to the House and was passed with these core tax provisions intact, including:

    • Extension of key provisions of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TJCA) of 2017, like the more than doubling of the standard deduction that most filers take
    • No federal tax on tips or overtime pay
    • Expanded child tax credit
    • Expanded tax credits for seniors
    • Preserved small business deductions
    • Expanded pass-through SALT deductibility

    According to the House Committee on Ways and Means, only two years after being signed into law, real median household income increased by $5,000 and real wages rose by 4.9% under the TJCA, allowing families to pocket more of their hard-earned money. Had these vital tax provisions expired, New Yorkers would have faced the single largest tax increases on small businesses and working-class families, with the average taxpayer in the Lower Hudson Valley facing an 18% tax hike. 

    However, passing an extension will result in a yearly take-home pay increase of up to $14,700 for a typical family in New York, according to the Council of Economic Advisers. Beyond tax relief, H.R. 1 delivers major wins for families, small businesses, and national security, including:

    • Secures the border by hiring tens of thousands of new ICE and Border Patrol agents, restarting construction of the border wall, and restoring enforcement capacity.
    • Lowers energy costs by expanding domestic production, ending burdensome regulations, refilling the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, and strengthening America’s energy independence.
    • Protects Medicaid for future generations as well as for the seniors, children, individuals with disabilities, and others who rely on the program within the IDD community.
    • Establishes common sense work requirements in Medicaid for certain able-bodied adults without dependents.
    • Creates an environment through spending rescissions, economic growth, and anti-fraud enforcement measures that will foster an economic boom. 
    • Supports small businesses and job creators by preserving pass-through deductions, expanding expensing rules, and eliminating the threat of higher estate taxes.
    • Modernizes U.S. national defense with $150 billion in investments to strengthen military readiness and deter global threats.
    • Strengthens the farm safety net with the first major update since 2002, expanding ag research, livestock biosecurity, and rural investment.
    • Reforms federal permitting and resource development to streamline infrastructure, energy, and forestry projects while ensuring state revenue-sharing.

    “Today, we delivered on our promise — to stop the single largest tax hike in American history and put more money back in the pockets of Americans,” said Congressman Lawler. “We secured meaningful SALT relief, locked in tax cuts for families and small businesses, and restored fairness for hardworking taxpayers across New York.”

    “This bill is a blueprint for how we can govern responsibly: provide real relief, restore security, and rein in out-of-control spending. The alternative was higher taxes, fewer jobs, and more economic pain. I voted to protect my constituents from that, and today, we got it done,” concluded Congressman Lawler.

    H.R. 1 now heads to President Trump’s desk for consideration of being signed into law. 

    Congressman Lawler is one of the most bipartisan members of Congress and represents New York’s 17th Congressional District, which is just north of New York City and contains all or parts of Rockland, Putnam, Dutchess, and Westchester Counties. He was rated the most effective freshman lawmaker in the 118th Congress, 8th overall, surpassing dozens of committee chairs. 

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    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Rep. Pettersen Announces 15 Local Projects to Expand Child Care Access, Prevent Wildfires, Upgrade Infrastructure

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Brittany Pettersen (Colorado 7th District)

    Rep. Pettersen Announces 15 Local Projects to Expand Child Care Access, Prevent Wildfires, Upgrade Infrastructure

    Today, U.S. Representative Brittany Pettersen (CO-07) announced she has requested millions of dollars in federal funding for 15 community projects across Colorado’s 7th Congressional District. Pettersen’s projects include efforts to expand access to affordable child care, bolster wildfire prevention efforts, upgrade critical water infrastructure, and more. 

    “At a time when the Trump administration continues to make life more expensive for hardworking families and rip funding away from essential services, I’m working on projects that will address our community’s needs – like expanding access to affordable child care and ensuring every family has a safe place to live,” said Pettersen. “These projects will make a positive difference in the lives of people throughout Colorado’s 7th Congressional District from Lakewood to Salida and everywhere in between. I’ll keep fighting throughout the appropriations process to secure the funds to support these community-driven initiatives.”

    The Community Project Funding allows members of Congress to submit funding requests for initiatives based in their districts. Though each member can submit up to 15 requests, no request is guaranteed. The projects championed by the Office of Representative Pettersen are as follows, in no particular order: 

    • Bright Start Early Learning: $1,985,096 to help build a new childcare facility in Lake County. 
    • Colorado Department of Corrections: $1,500,000 to help rehabilitate a closed childcare facility in Cañon City.
    • Boys & Girls Club of Chaffee County: $1,285,200 to help fund the construction of a new Boys Girls Club facility to provide after-school and summer programs for kids in Buena Vista.
    • Town of Cripple Creek: $1,300,000 to fund the construction of a new childcare facility in Cripple Creek. 
    • Teller County Government: $4,000,000 to expand wastewater capacity and move treatment infrastructure so that it is no longer located in a designated floodplain to help protect the facility from flood damage. 
    • Colorado Division of Fire Prevention and Control: $5,000,000 to fund a program researching satellite data to help detect wildfires sooner and respond quicker. 
    • Town of Alma: $3,000,000 to replace the town’s ineffective wastewater treatment lagoons with a new mechanical treatment facility to enhance local water quality, protect ecosystems, and mitigate contaminating drinking water. 
    • City of Arvada: $14,809,239 to improve a sanitary sewer interceptor to ensure drinking water is not contaminated and protect public health. 
    • Jefferson County Parks and Conservation: $1,000,000 to create a fuel break buffer on either side of roadways to decrease risk of wildfires and increase safety on emergency and evacuation routes. 
    • Chaffee County Sheriff: $1,000,000 to support the costs of construction to fully retrofit a newly purchased property into a Sheriff headquarters and command center, which will house the core of their law enforcement operations, interrogation, armory, evidence storage, records, and response vehicles.
    • Porchlight, A Family Justice Center: $848,749 to expand Porchlight’s ability to serve survivors of domestic violence by covering rental expenses for a large facility and the salaries of a Bilingual Navigator and an Operations Coordinator for one year. 
    • City of Lakewood: $1,000,000 to facilitate the creation of a community hub providing government resources and services to low-income households at risk of homelessness.
    • City and County of Broomfield: $1,800,000 to construct safety improvements around Birch Elementary School to add ADA ramps and curb extensions.
    • City of Lakewood: $2,202,416 for the Colfax Safety Project to enhance safety along the corridor, including: sidewalks, improved pedestrian crossings, amenities, medians, traffic signals, enhanced bus facilities, access control, lighting, and landscaping.
    • Foothills Regional Funding: $2,000,000 to help create affordable housing for seniors and families in the Wheat Ridge and Arvada communities.

    Find more information about Pettersen’s projects by clicking here.

    ###

    To access downloadable, high-quality photos, click here. To stay up-to-date on what Pettersen is doing in Congress, follow her on Twitter here, Facebook here, or Instagram here. Residents can also sign-up for her e-newsletter subscription here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Pfluger: The One Big Beautiful Bill is a commonsense, pro-growth solution that locks in President Trump’s tax cuts

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman August Pfluger (TX-11)

    Pfluger: The One Big Beautiful Bill is a commonsense, pro-growth solution that locks in President Trump’s tax cuts

    Washington, June 30, 2025

    WASHINGTON, DC—Congressman August Pfluger (TX-11) penned an op-ed in the Odessa American outlining why the One Big Beautiful Bill is good for Texas’s 11th Congressional District.

    In the op-ed, Rep. Pfluger wrote in part, “The One Big Beautiful Bill is a commonsense, pro-growth solution that locks in President Trump’s 2017 tax cuts, protecting hardworking Texans from devastating tax hikes. What Democrats won’t tell you about the bill is that if Congress fails to pass this legislation, families, farmers, and small businesses inTX-11will be hit with the largest tax increase in history. To put this into perspective, over 475,000 taxpayers inTX-11are at risk, with the average taxpayer facing a 26% tax increase if this bill is not passed. In practical terms, an average family of four inTX-11, making the median income of $67,226, would see their taxes rise by $1,293—roughly the cost of seven weeks’ worth of groceries.”

    You can read the full op-ed here or by clicking the image below.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Pfluger Fly-By: July 3, 2025

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman August Pfluger (TX-11)

    Pfluger Fly-By: July 3, 2025

    Washington, July 3, 2025

    July 3, 2025

    Friend,

    Welcome back to the weekly Pfluger Fly-By, a roundup of events and updates to keep you informed about everything I’m doing week by week to represent you in Congress.

    This week was one for the history books. The House officially passed the One Big Beautiful Bill, a major step forward in delivering on President Trump’s agenda and keeping our promises to the American people. The bill now heads to President Trump’s desk and is set to be signed into law on July 4th — a fitting way to begin the celebrations of the 250th year of the greatest nation on earth.

    As we mark six months of the 119th Congress today, I’ve included a special mid-year report below highlighting our accomplishments so far. You’ll also find information on how my office can assist you with any federal issues you may be facing. As always, please don’t hesitate to contact my office if we can ever be of assistance.

    Best,

    Happy Independence Day, Texas-11

    On the eve of Independence Day, I want to take a moment to wish everyone in Texas-11 a very Happy 4th of July!

    As we prepare to gather with family and friends tomorrow to celebrate, I am reminded of the incredible privilege it is to be an American and to live in the greatest country on earth. This day marks the birth of our great nation, and it is a time to reflect on our history, honor the sacrifices made by countless individuals, and reaffirm our commitment to safeguarding the values that make the United States a beacon of hope and liberty.

    I had the honor of serving nearly two decades as a fighter pilot in the United States Air Force, flying combat missions against ISIS over Syria and Iraq, and defending our country against foreign and domestic threats. Those years shaped my deep appreciation for America and the immense responsibility we all share to protect it. Every mission reminded me of what’s at stake—and of the courage it takes to defend freedom.

    I am a proud Texan and a staunch conservative. I believe in the founding principles that have guided our nation since its inception. Our Constitution, our freedoms, and our way of life are worth defending with every ounce of our strength. That is what drives me each day in Congress.

    This Independence Day, let us celebrate the freedoms we enjoy while remembering the duty we each have to protect them. This year also marks the beginning of America’s 250th year—a historic time to be alive. The United States of America is the greatest country the world has ever known, and it is our responsibility to keep it that way.

    Happy Independence Day, and may God continue to bless the United States of America.

    My Statement on the Passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill

    The passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill today is a big, beautiful win for Texas families, workers, seniors, and small businesses. This legislation locks in President Trump’s historic tax cuts — protecting taxpayers in my district from a devastating 26% tax increase, which would have been the largest in American history. It also delivers $13.5 billion in border reimbursements for states like Texas, and makes the most significant investments in border security ever seen.

    This bill reclaims America’s energy independence — lowering energy costs for families, creating high-paying jobs in the Permian Basin, and reversing President Biden’s disastrous energy policies. I fought to make sure Texas values were reflected in this package: from much-needed support through strategic investments for farmers and ranchers, to ending forced taxpayer funding of abortion, to nearly $150 billion in military investments that will directly support the incredible men and women serving at Goodfellow Air Force Base and Fort Hood.

    The American people are tired of business as usual in Washington. They demanded that we secure the border, eliminate wasteful spending, and make life genuinely affordable for hardworking American families – and this bill does exactly that.

    6-Month Report on the 119th Congress

    Serving the incredible men and women of Texas’s 11th District in Congress is the honor of my lifetime. I’m proud of the meaningful progress we’ve achieved during the first six months of the Republican trifecta, and I remain committed to delivering real results that bring Texas values to Washington and implement the priorities of my district—the greatest district in America.

    You can read my mid-year report here or by clicking the image below.

    Telephone Town Hall on the One Big Beautiful Bill

    I also hosted a Telephone Town Hall this week ahead of the vote on the One Big Beautiful Bill to discuss why this historic legislation is great news for TX-11. Thank you to everyone who tuned in!

    REMINDER: If you are in need of assistance with a federal agency, my office is here to help. For more information, please visit our website HERE.

    Thank you for reading. It is the honor of my lifetime to serve you in Congress. Please follow me on Facebook, Instagram, and X (formerly Twitter) for daily updates.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Attorney General James Urges Court to Halt Unconstitutional ICE Raids in Los Angeles

    Source: US State of New York

    EW YORK – New York Attorney General Letitia James today joined a coalition of 17 other attorneys general in supporting the American Civil Liberties Union’s (ACLU) lawsuit challenging the federal government’s use of unlawful immigration enforcement tactics in Los Angeles, California. In an amicus brief filed today in Perdomo v. Noem, Attorney General James and the coalition urge the court to grant a temporary restraining order halting the raids, which have upended the community, harmed local economies, and undermined public trust in law enforcement.

    “In Los Angeles and nationwide, we are seeing immigration enforcement officers deploy dystopian tactics that are deeply harmful,” said Attorney General James. “No one should fear being questioned, detained, or deported by unidentified masked agents while taking their child to school, going to work, or attending church. These mass raids are tearing families apart, threatening public safety, and turning once-lively neighborhoods into ghost towns. Federal agents are sowing fear in entire communities, which is why we are urging the court to intervene and stop these unconstitutional raids at once.”

    In the brief, Attorney General James and the coalition detail how the federal government’s current immigration enforcement efforts have “shattered the rhythms of everyday life” in Los Angeles. In recent months, masked agents conducting unannounced and unmarked operations in neighborhoods, churches, schools, and local businesses have left people afraid to leave their homes. Residents, including U.S. citizens, have been unlawfully detained, questioned, and harassed, often without any reasonable suspicion of wrongdoing. Local businesses have closed and farmers markets have shut down due to fear of enforcement. Hospitals and health clinics report soaring appointment cancellation rates, which presents alarming concerns for public health. Students are skipping school and graduation ceremonies, days that are supposed to be among the most joyous of their lives. Houses of worship have also seen a dramatic decline in attendance.

    The attorneys general highlight the long history of discriminatory and militarized immigration enforcement campaigns in California, including “Operation Wetback,” a 1954 mass deportation campaign that took its name from an ethnic slur, as well as the La Placita raids during the Great Depression. The attorneys general note that at the time, Mexican farmworkers were indiscriminately blamed for job shortages and shrinking public benefits, and ultimately, the campaign resulted in the deportation of nearly two million Mexican Americans, more than half of whom were U.S. citizens, without due process. Families were separated, and many children never again saw their parents. Historians and scholars have widely condemned these discriminatory raids as inhumane terror campaigns.

    Attorney General James and the coalition draw parallels between those shameful chapters of American history and the current actions under the Trump administration, which seemingly prioritize maximizing the quantity of arrests over the right to due process. They highlight the president’s past remarks, in which he praised “Operation Wetback” as an enforcement model and hailed the Eisenhower administration for setting the record for deportations, a record he said his administration would break. The attorneys general emphasize that the administration’s recent immigration raids, including in Los Angeles, appear to bear many of the same hallmarks as the earlier mass deportation efforts that are now shameful chapters of American history.

    The attorneys general argue that the federal government’s conduct creates confusion and fear that also directly impedes local law enforcement. Numerous incidents have been reported in which plainclothes Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents driving unmarked vehicles were mistaken for criminals, leading to false reports of kidnappings and assaults. This, too, erodes the culture of trust between immigrant communities and the police. ICE’s secretive approach has even led to a rise in copycat crimes in which masked perpetrators imitate ICE agents in order to abduct or harass others.

    In their filing, Attorney General James and the coalition emphasize that while the ACLU’s lawsuit is specifically focused on ICE enforcement tactics in Los Angeles, the federal government has been engaging in widespread raids in cities throughout the country, including New York. Arrests at immigration courts in Manhattan and on farms upstate have contributed to a culture of fear for many immigrant New Yorkers. The attorneys general are asking the court to immediately intervene and stop the unlawful immigration enforcement tactics in Los Angeles, arguing that the culture of fear that these raids have created permeates well beyond city and state borders and has had an overwhelming chilling effect on communities nationwide.

    The attorneys general are supporting the plaintiffs’ motion for a temporary restraining order, in which they argue ICE is not stopping people based on any reasonable, individualized suspicion, and instead is engaging in racial profiling. 

    Joining Attorney General James in filing this brief are the attorneys general of Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Massachusetts, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, Nevada, Oregon, Vermont, and Washington.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Analysis: Could new pipelines shield Canada from U.S. tariffs? The answer is complicated

    Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Torsten Jaccard, Assistant Professor of Economics, University of British Columbia

    It should come as no surprise that United States President Donald Trump’s tariff threats have renewed interest in building pipelines that don’t rely on access to the American market. Almost four million barrels of crude oil cross the Canada-U.S. border each day, generating revenue of more than $100 billion per year — a quarter of Alberta’s GDP.

    A February survey by the Angus Reid Institute found that half of Canadians believe the federal government isn’t doing enough to expand pipeline capacity. Meanwhile, two-thirds said they would back reviving the Energy East project — a cancelled pipeline that would have transported oil from western Canada to New Brunswick and Québec.

    But would new pipelines truly insulate Canada from the threat of U.S. tariffs? And how much new pipeline capacity is necessary? Despite the apparent urgency of approving new infrastructure projects, these questions remain surprisingly unexplored.

    In a recent paper I co-authored with researcher Jotham Peters, which is currently under revision, we applied formal economic modelling techniques to parse through the costs and benefits of new pipelines, and in particular to understand the role of American tariffs in shaping these costs and benefits.

    How tariffs could hit Canadian oil producers

    In a worst-case scenario where the U.S. follows through on its threat of a 10 per cent tariff on Canadian oil exports, Canadian producers could lose as much as $14 billion in annual revenue — roughly a 10 per cent decrease.

    Simply put, Canada’s existing pipeline network severely limits access to markets other than the U.S., and as a consequence oil producers bear the full brunt of American tariffs.

    But what if Northern Gateway and Energy East — two previously cancelled pipelines that would have brought Canadian oil to tidewater — had been built?

    If Northern Gateway and Energy East were operational in 2025, Canada would be more resilient, but not completely immune, to U.S. tariffs. Instead of a $14 billion loss, tariffs would reduce annual revenue by $9 billion.

    Ultimately, the combined capacity of Northern Gateway and Energy East, which would be 1.625 million barrels per day, pales in comparison to the four million barrels per day of existing pipeline capacity connecting Canadian producers with American refineries.

    Closing this gap would require an expansion of east-west pipeline capacity far beyond the cancelled pipelines of the last decade.

    The economic case for pipelines

    So have the recent shifts in U.S. trade policy fundamentally altered the economic case in favour of new east-west pipelines? As with most economic analyses, the answer is complicated.

    On the one hand, any progress that mitigates the significant cost of U.S. tariffs are likely dollars well spent. Building new pipelines strengthens the bargaining power of Canadian producers, which carries an additional benefit of potentially increasing the return on each barrel sold to our southern neighbour.

    There’s also a long-term capacity issue. Existing pipelines may reach their limit by 2035. In the absence of new pipelines, any new production after 2035 would either need to be transported by rail at a higher cost, or left in the ground.

    On the other hand, if the U.S. never follows through on tariffs on energy exports — or if future administrations do not share Trump’s affinity for chaotic trade policy — Canada could end up right back where it started when these projects were cancelled.

    All pipelines carry some economic benefit, but such benefits were not enough in 2016 and 2017 to warrant the construction of the Northern Gateway and Energy East pipelines.

    Inflated construction costs threaten benefits

    The elephant in the room is whether a significant expansion in pipeline capacity could realistically be achieved at reasonable cost. Recent evidence suggests it could be a challenge.

    The Trans Mountain expansion project, for instance, was initially estimated to cost $5.4 billion in 2013. By the time it was completed in 2024, the final price tag had ballooned to $34 billion — a cost overrun of 380 per cent when accounting for inflation.

    The Coastal GasLink pipeline, which transports natural gas, faced similar issues. It was initially projected to cost $4 billion in 2012 and was completed in 2023 at a final cost of $14.5 billion, with an inflation-adjusted overrun of 180 per cent.

    While some of these costs were circumstantial — a major flood affected Trans Mountain, for example — increased efficiency in pipeline construction is necessary for the economic benefits of new pipelines to be realized, regardless of U.S. trade policy.

    Beyond economics costs

    While our research explores the economic impact of new pipelines in the face of U.S. tariffs, we acknowledge there are other issues that need to be considered.

    Chief among them is ensuring Canada meets its constitutional obligation to consult First Nations on decisions, like natural resources projects, that affect their communities and territories. Although this lies beyond our area of expertise, it will inevitably be an important element of consideration for any new pipeline developments.



    Read more:
    The complicated history of building pipelines in Canada

    The environmental impacts of new pipelines are another key concern. These impacts range from local exposure to oil spills to upstream greenhouse gas emissions associated with oil production. While these varying and complex impacts are also beyond the scope of our current work, future research should focus on quantifying the potential environmental impacts of new pipelines.

    Our research cannot say whether any new pipeline project is good, bad or in Canada’s national interest. But we can help Canadians reach an informed decision about how changes in U.S. trade policy may or may not alter the economic case for new pipelines in this country.

    While Canada would undoubtedly be in a stronger position to respond to U.S. tariffs were Northern Gateway and Energy East operational in 2025, it would still find itself significantly exposed to Trump’s tariff threats.

    Fully removing this exposure would require not one but seven pipelines equivalent to Northern Gateway. Whether that’s a goal worth pursuing is a broader question — one we hope our research can help Canadians and policymakers reach on their own.

    Torsten Jaccard receives funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.

    – ref. Could new pipelines shield Canada from U.S. tariffs? The answer is complicated – https://theconversation.com/could-new-pipelines-shield-canada-from-u-s-tariffs-the-answer-is-complicated-259660

    MIL OSI Analysis –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Energy Department Expands Commitment to Collaboration with Norway on Water Power Research and Development

    Source: US Department of Energy

    WASHINGTON—The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) today extended a commitment to collaboration in water power research and development with Norway’s Royal Ministry of Energy. The extension of this previously established Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), which facilitates planning and coordination activities between the two countries, will further the Trump Administration’s efforts to reduce energy costs, strengthen grid reliability and security, and unleash American energy innovation as called for in President Trump’s Executive Orders on energy and Secretary Wright’s memorandum.

    “Strong partnerships drive innovation, and innovation strengthens America’s energy future,” said Energy Secretary Chris Wright. “Hydropower is a tremendous resource— one that supports reliable, affordable power across the country and holds vast potential to bolster America’s grid. By signing this Memorandum of Understanding with Norway, we are building upon our two nations’ shared expertise and advanced marine energy technologies to support President Trump’s pro-growth energy agenda for the American people.”

    “Hydropower and marine energy have potential to reduce energy costs and improve the resilience of our electric grid,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Lou Hrkman. “Our collaboration with Norway—another country that is rich in water power resources—will help us expand our generation capacity, upgrade existing facilities, and cultivate the technical expertise we need to make the most of these opportunities.”

    In 2020, DOE and Norway’s Royal Ministry of Energy signed a five-year MOU Annex that brought together DOE’s Water Power Technologies Office and the Norwegian Research Centre for Hydropower Technology to collaborate on hydropower research and development. The latest MOU Annex expands the scope of this collaboration to include marine energy, which has the potential to provide locally sourced energy to millions of Americans in the most densely populated regions of the country. Under the extended MOU, the two parties will share foundational information, tools, and technologies that reduce barriers to the development, testing, and advancement of both marine energy and new hydropower technologies.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • Trump unveils 25% tariffs on goods from Japan, South Korea in letters to leaders

    Source: Government of India

    Source: Government of India (4)

    President Donald Trump said on Monday the U.S. would impose a 25% tariff on imports from Japan and South Korea beginning Aug. 1 as he unveiled the first two of an expected 12 letters to trading partners outlining the new levies they face.

    “If for any reason you decide to raise your Tariffs, then, whatever the number you choose to raise them by, will be added onto the 25% that we charge,” Trump said in letters to the leaders of the two Asian countries, which he posted on his Truth Social platform.

    Later, Trump also announced the U.S. will impose 25% tariffs on Malaysia and Kazakhstan, 30% on South Africa and 40% on Laos and Myanmar.

    The rate for South Korea is the same as Trump initially announced on April 2, while the rate for Japan is 1 point higher than first announced. A week later, he capped all of the so-called reciprocal tariffs at 10% until July 9 to allow for negotiations. Only two agreements have so far been reached, with Britain and Vietnam.

    There was no immediate response from the Japanese or South Korean embassies on the announcement.

    About12 countries will receive letters from Trump, White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said at a briefing without identifying them. She said Trump would sign an executive order on Monday formally delaying the July 9 deadline to August 1.

    “There will be additional letters in the coming days,” Leavitt said, adding that “we are close” on some deals.

    The European Union will not be receiving a letter setting out higher tariffs, EU sources familiar with the matter told Reuters on Monday.

    U.S. stocks fell in response, the latest market ruction since Trump unleashed a global trade war on his return to office in January. His moves have repeatedly whipsawed financial markets and sent policymakers scrambling to protect their economies.

    U.S. stocks were driven to near bear-market territory by his cascade of tariff announcements through the early spring but quickly rebounded to record highs in the weeks after he put the stiffest levies on hold on April 9.

    The S&P 500 on Monday was down nearly 1%, its biggest drop in three weeks. U.S.-listed shares of Japanese automotive companies fell, with Toyota Motor down 4.1% at mid-afternoon trading and Honda Motor off by 3.8%. The dollar surged against both the Japanese yen and the South Korean won.

    U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said earlier on Monday he expected several trade announcements to be made in the next 48 hours, adding that his inbox was full of last-ditch offers from countries to clinch a tariff deal by the deadline.

    Bessent did not say which countries could get deals and what they might contain. Trump has kept much of the world guessing on the outcome of months of talks with countries hoping to avoid the hefty tariff hikes he has threatened.

    Countries have scrambled to hammer out deals before the Wednesday deadline. South Korea and Indonesia dispatched representatives to Washington, while Thailand submitted a new trade proposal offering zero tariffs on many U.S. goods.

    “We’ve had a lot of people change their tune in terms of negotiations. So my mailbox was full last night with a lot of new offers, a lot of new proposals,” Bessent said in an interview with CNBC. “So it’s going to be a busy couple of days.”

    BRICS THREAT

    For its part, the European Union still aims to reach a trade deal by July 9 after European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Trump had a “good exchange,” a Commission spokesperson said.

    It was not clear, however, whether there had been a meaningful breakthrough in talks to stave off tariff hikes on the United States’ largest trading partner.

    Adding to the pressure, Trump threatened to impose a 17% tariff on EU food and agriculture exports, it emerged last week.

    Trump had said on Sunday the U.S. was close to finalizing several trade pacts and would notify other countries by July 9 of higher tariff rates. He said they would not take effect until Aug. 1, a three-week reprieve.

    He also put members of the developing nations’ BRICS group in his sights as its leaders met in Brazil, threatening an additional 10% tariff on any BRICS countries aligning themselves with “anti-American” policies.

    The new 10% tariff will be imposed on individual countries if they take anti-American policy actions, a source familiar with the matter said.

    The BRICS group comprises Brazil, Russia, India and China and South Africa along with recent joiners Egypt, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Iran and the United Arab Emirates.

    Trump’s comments hit the South African rand.

    EU SEEKS EFFECTIVE APPROACH TO TRUMP

    The EU has been torn over whether to push for a quick and light trade deal or back its own economic clout in trying to negotiate a better outcome. It had already dropped hopes for a comprehensive trade agreement before the July deadline.

    “We want to reach a deal with the U.S. We want to avoid tariffs,” the spokesperson said at a daily briefing.

    Without a preliminary agreement, broad U.S. tariffs on most imports would rise from their current 10% to the rates set out by Trump on April 2. In the EU’s case, that would be 20%.

    Von der Leyen also held talks with the leaders of Germany, France and Italy at the weekend, Germany said. Chancellor Friedrich Merz has repeatedly stressed the need for a quick deal to protect industries vulnerable to tariffs ranging from cars to pharmaceuticals.

    The German spokesperson said the parties should allow themselves “another 24 or 48 hours to come to a decision.”

    Germany’s Mercedes-Benz MBGn.DEsaid on Monday its second-quarter unit sales of cars and vans had fallen 9%, blaming tariffs.

    Russia said BRICS was “a group of countries that share common approaches and a common world view on how to cooperate, based on their own interests.”

    “And this cooperation within BRICS has never been and will never be directed against any third countries,” said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov.

    (Reuters)

  • MIL-OSI USA: ICYMI: Tuberville on The Will Cain Show: Senate Must Deliver on President Trump’s Tax Cuts

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Alabama Tommy Tuberville
    WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) joined The Will Cain Show to discuss the urgent need for the Senate to pass President Trump’s tax cuts.
    Read excerpts from the interview below or watch here.
    CAIN: “Senator, thanks for being with us here today. I believe you have already called for the firing of the Parliamentarian?”
    TUBERVILLE: “Well, first of all, Will, thanks for me on and also, keep winning. President Trump’s winning right and left. We’re gonna win on this bill no matter what the Parliamentarian does. Two-thirds of it is the tax cuts, as President Trump said, and the $150 billion for the border. So that being said, yes, we’re playing a home game here, but we’ve got the officials from the other team, which is the Parliamentarian. That’s how I look at it. The Parliamentarian is hired by the majority. We’re the majority, but we left Harry Reid’s Parliamentarian in place—been there for 12 years. I don’t like some of the things she did to this bill. She took out the provision that we blocked illegals from being on Medicaid, blocked illegals from getting student loans, blocked taxpayers from having to pay for these mutilated transition surgeries for minors, you can’t do that. I mean, but at the end of the day, you know, these are big things, but they’re really minor when it comes to saving the taxpayers money in this Big Beautiful Bill. We will pass it in the Senate this weekend sometime, but again, the House has to pass it.”
    Senator Tommy Tuberville represents Alabama in the United States Senate and is a member of the Senate Armed Services, Agriculture, Veterans’ Affairs, HELP and Aging Committees.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Tuberville Joins Hagerty in Bill to End Counting of Illegal Aliens in Electoral College and Congressional Apportionment Votes 

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Alabama Tommy Tuberville
    WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) joined U.S. Senator Bill Hagerty (R-TN) in introducing the Equal Representation Act which would ensure only legal citizens are factored into the count for Congressional districts and the Electoral College map that determines presidential elections. The current method of counting illegal immigrants for purposes of representation is dangerous as it incentivizes illegal immigration. 
    Sen. Tuberville cosponsored this bill in the 118th Congress. 
    “Illegal aliens have no right to congressional representation in this country, and they have no right to determine who our elected leaders are,” said Sen. Tuberville. “The balance of power shouldn’t be weighed down by people who aren’t citizens of this country. Counting illegals in the Electoral College and congressional districts can completely alter the outcome of our elections. Thankfully, President Trump and his administration are deporting illegals in droves. I’m proud to join Senator Hagerty in reintroducing the Equal Representation Act so that ONLY Americans determine our elected leaders.”
    “It is unconscionable that illegal immigrants and non-citizens are counted toward congressional district apportionment and our electoral map for the presidency, which also heavily skews the seat count in the U.S. House of Representatives,” said Sen. Hagerty. “While people continue to flee Democrat-run cities, desperate Democrats have back-filled the mass exodus with illegal immigrants so that they do not lose their seats in Congress or their electoral votes, hence artificially boosting their political power and in turn diluting the power of other Americans’ votes. I’m pleased to lead my colleagues in reintroducing this legislation that would require a citizenship question on the census and will ensure that only citizens are counted in congressional redistricting.”
    Sens. Tuberville and Hagerty are joined by Sens. Katie Britt (R-AL), Ted Budd (R-NC), Kevin Cramer (R-ND), Mike Crapo (R-ID), Steve Daines (R-MT), John Hoeven (R-ND), Ron Johnson (R-WI), Jim Justice (R-WV), James Lankford (R-OK), Mike Lee (R-UT), Cynthia Lummis (R-WY), Roger Marshall (R-KS), Pete Ricketts (R-NE), Jim Risch (R-ID), Eric Schmitt (R-MO), Rick Scott (R-FL), and Tim Sheehy (R-MT) in cosponsoring this legislation.
    Read full text of the legislation here. 
    BACKGROUND:
    Currently, illegal immigrants are counted for congressional district apportionment and, therefore, Electoral College votes. For example, in a state like California, millions of illegal alien residents result in California taking several more congressional seats and Electoral College votes than the states’ population of citizens would justify. In other words, being a magnet for illegal immigration increases the power of a Californian’s vote relative to an individual in another state with less population boost from illegal immigration. This creates a perverse incentive encouraging illegal immigration and resettlement to increase political power.
    Specifically, the Equal Representation Act would:
    Require that the Census Bureau include a citizenship question on any future census to provide a greater understanding of the U.S. population and delineate between citizens and non-citizens for apportionment purposes;
    Prohibit non-citizens from being counted for purposes of congressional district and Electoral College apportionment; and
    Require that the Census Bureau publicly report on certain demographic data.
    Senator Tommy Tuberville represents Alabama in the United States Senate and is a member of the Senate Armed Services, Agriculture, Veterans’ Affairs, HELP and Aging Committees.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Tuberville Releases Statement Following Senate’s Passage of President Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Alabama Tommy Tuberville
    WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) released the following statement following his “yes” vote on President Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill.
    “The road to Making America Great Again runs through the One Big Beautiful Bill. President Trump campaigned on popular policies like No Tax on Tips, No Tax on Overtime, and No Tax on Social Security — and this bill turns those policies into law.
    We’re cutting taxes for everyone — doesn’t matter if you are rich or poor, urban or rural, a CEO or a lineworker. We’re supporting farmers who have been crushed by Joe Biden’s inflation. We’re finishing the wall, hiring more ICE officers, and closing dangerous loopholes that allowed 20 million criminals, murderers, terrorists, and gang members to invade this country under Joe Biden. This bill also includes a down payment on the Golden Dome, which will allow Alabama to continue leading the way in building cutting-edge technologies that keep Americans safe.
    I’m especially proud it includes my GOAL Act, which is the first time Congress will put a reasonable cap on graduate student loans. We are more than $37 trillion in debt, and we have to start standing up for American taxpayers. 
    This bill codifies every part of President Trump’s agenda that 77 million Americans wholeheartedly voted for. President Trump promised, and Senate Republicans delivered.”
    Senator Tommy Tuberville represents Alabama in the United States Senate and is a member of the Senate Armed Services, Agriculture, Veterans’ Affairs, HELP, and Aging Committees.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Cornyn Joins Sunday Morning Futures on Devastating Floods in Kerr County & Across Central Texas

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Texas John Cornyn
    AUSTIN – Today on Sunday Morning Futures, U.S. Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) joined Jason Chaffetz to discuss this weekend’s devastating flooding in Texas and ongoing rescue efforts, warn Texans to be on alert for continued flooding across Central Texas, and convey Texans’ ongoing prayers for the rescue and recovery of those still missing. Excerpts of Sen. Cornyn’s remarks are below, and video can be found here.
    On the devastating flooding in Texas:
    “This was a 100-year flood event in an area that had been known to flood, but nothing like this.”
    “A terrible tragedy, but thanks to President Trump and Secretary Noem, the federal disaster relief has been provided at the request of Governor Abbott.” 
    “Governor Abbott has called today a Day of Prayer, and we are still saying our prayers here in Texas for those who are grieving and those who are still unaccounted for.”
    “Texans are tough, and they’re resilient.”
    “We are a family.”
     On the ongoing severe weather:
    “We’ve had an extended period of drought this summer, which is not unusual in the heat of the Texas summer, but of course, all this rain during a short period of time is causing flooding and unfortunately, there have been loss of lives in other parts of the state beyond Kerrville where the Camp Mystic was located.” 
    “People need to pay attention to the weather reports and the cautionary messages of local and state officials and to be safe, because the danger is not completely over.” 
    On Texas’ rescue efforts:
    “Governor Abbott said that we are going to be relentless in the rescue efforts, and still as I said, 27 young girls unaccounted for.”
    “We’re still hopeful and prayerful that they will be recovered.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: In Kerrville, Cornyn Discusses the Devastating Flooding & Praises Texas’ Rescue Efforts

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Texas John Cornyn
    KERRVILLE – After receiving a briefing from state, local, and federal officials, U.S. Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) gave the following remarks at a press conference in Kerrville, Texas, with U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, Texas Governor Greg Abbott, U.S. Congressman Chip Roy (TX-21), Texas Division of Emergency Management Chief Nim Kidd, Kerr County Judge Rob Kelly, and Kerrville Mayor Joe Herring on yesterday’s devastating flooding and Texas’ ongoing rescue efforts. Video of his remarks can be found here starting at 40:37.
    “I remain incredibly impressed with Governor Abbott’s leadership and the incredible work that the Texas Department of Emergency Management under the leadership of Nim Kidd do.”
    “My thanks to President Trump and Secretary Noem for responding so quickly to Governor Abbott’s request for a federal disaster declaration.”
    “We are praying for those who have lost loved ones and are grieving. We are celebrating with those who have been reacquainted with and rejoined with their family members.”
    “Up in [the city of] West, Texas, after a terrible disaster, a county commissioner there said something to me that I think is appropriate at a time like this. He said, ‘Being from Texas is not just about where you’re from, it’s who your family is,’ and so when things like this happen, we come together as a family, as Texans, in a way that I’m very proud of.”
    “[Governor Abbott] and his team will be relentless in supporting all of the efforts at the local and the federal level until every last person is accounted for and those families are reunited with their loved ones.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: ICYMI—Hagerty Joins The Big Weekend Show on Fox News to Discuss Budget Reconciliation, Trade Negotiations

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Tennessee Bill Hagerty
    NASHVILLE, TN—Yesterday, United States Senator Bill Hagerty (R-TN), a member of the Senate Appropriations, Banking, and Foreign Relations Committees and former U.S. Ambassador to Japan, joined The Big Weekend Show on Fox News to discuss the wins within the budget reconciliation package, along with President Donald Trump’s ongoing trade negotiations.

    *Click the photo above or here to watch*
    Partial Transcript
    Hagerty on the benefits of the budget reconciliation package: “Well, before I say anything, I just wanted to say my heart goes out to the people in Texas that are still looking for their loved ones. One of my good friends had two daughters at Camp Mystic. Thankfully, they’re safe and alive, but my heart goes out to everybody. Thank you for covering this. And with respect to the American public and their perspective on the bill, the Democrats and their partisan allies in the media have been attacking this bill nonstop, even though they had not seen the final product yet. It has been under attack for weeks, if not months. Finally, we’ve got a bill put together that I think is going to do great things for the American public. Now it’s our job to get out and message properly, but when you think about it, the American public overwhelmingly support the fact that we’re going to be rebuilding our military, our defense. We’re going to be rebuilding our energy independence and onshoring energy here in America, making us dominant. Again, if you think about it from the perspective of the working man and woman, they’re looking at about a $10,000 increase in take-home pay every year, thanks to the tax cuts that we impose. No tax on tips. The benefits that people are going to see at the working-class level are going to be enormous, and we’re going to stimulate more capital investments, which will, again, beget more economic growth and more job opportunities for people here in America. Cutting out waste, fraud, and abuse — everybody’s for that, as well. It’s interesting, the Democrats used to be for work requirements, until the Republicans actually implemented them.”
    Hagerty on James Carville’s claim that the budget reconciliation will hurt Republicans long-term: “From the same man that promised John Kerry would be president of the United States. Carville just keeps getting it wrong. And I think what we’re going to see is the exact opposite. Again, when people see the benefits of this bill, when they see their take-home pay rising, when they see the economy moving again at the pace it was when we initially did this back in 2017, we’re going to see American people enjoying winning again. Carville can’t take that. They’re going to continue to message down this path. The Democrats are disheveled; I can say that. But again, I think Carville is going to wind up with egg on his face yet again.”
    Hagerty on the programs that will benefit working class Americans: “The interesting thing is all of these programs are aimed at improving the life of American citizens. If you think about what the Democrats passed, the reconciliation that generated so much inflation that every American was crushed by lower real wages, they don’t seem to be apologizing for that. They missed the mark completely, subsidizing their pals in the green energy environment. But here we are actually doing things for American people that will help people in the middle-class and the working-class, and the Democrats are calling it peanuts. Again, it just shows how detached they are from reality. And that detachment has led, I think, to this complete disheveled that we’re seeing among the Democrats. And again, they just continue to promote these falsehoods. The media, of course, has been supporting them, but I think as the American public realizes the truth of this, we’re going to see a great year in 2026.”
    Hagerty on the tariff deadlines for other countries to make trade deals: “I’ve actually been alongside President Trump. When I was Ambassador to Japan, we negotiated two trade deals with Japan at a time that nobody thought they could get done. President Trump has proven himself as someone that understands this. He knows that America has been getting ripped off for years. It goes all the way back to World War II. We put in place very low tariff barriers. We did this to induce countries to trade with us, but we should have time limit on it. We should have put some sort of GDP-per-capita limit because now these countries have just taken advantage of America. It’s gone on for too long. It’s time for them to shape up. It’s time for them to step up. We’ve already seen [the United Kingdom]. We’ve seen Vietnam. We’ve already seen parts of what’s going on with China. I think we’re going to see a number of deals come through here in the very near future. And for those that get the letters that are coming out very soon, they’ve got until the 1st of August to step up. But I can tell you President Trump means business on this. And I think what we’ll see is a much better and more improved trade environment, much more fair for American companies, as a result.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Ahead of Flood Anniversaries, Welch Talks FEMA Reform in Barre and Montpelier 

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Peter Welch (D-Vermont)
    Welch held a Listening Session in Barre with flood-impacted Vermonters 
    BARRE, VT — Today, U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.) met with flood-impacted Vermonters and community leaders in Barre and Montpelier and discussed the need to pass legislation to reform the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Last week, Senator Welch visited Killington, Ludlow, and Weston; he will visit Hardwick, Lyndon, Barton, and Burke in the coming weeks. 
    Senator Welch recently unveiled the Disaster Assistance Improvement and Decentralization (AID) Act. He will file the new legislation this week, coinciding with the anniversary of the July 2023 and July 2024 floods. 
    “The dangers of climate change are real and urgent, as so many Vermonters experienced firsthand. Vermont was hit with catastrophic flooding in July of 2023 and again in July of 2024—and communities and states across America have been hit by devastating disasters, most recently the tragic floods in Texas and North Carolina. FEMA does lifesaving and critical work after a disaster, and it is important the agency is fully supported. But FEMA also needs commonsense reforms, which is something I heard in Barre, Montpelier, and across Vermont. I will keep fighting to strengthen FEMA for disaster-impacted communities across America,” said Senator Welch.  
    The Disaster AID Act will cut red tape and empower state and local governments, make the delivery of disaster aid more efficient and effective, provide assistance to small towns and communities impacted by natural disasters, and block the White House from withholding funding for disaster recovery.  
    Barre: Senator Welch started the day with a Listening Session at the Barre Social Club, where he was joined by Mayor Thom Lauzon and Michele Braun of the Friends of the Winooski River. Senator Welch spoke with flood-impacted Vermonters and community members about Barre’s recovery from July 2023 floods and the importance of reforming and protecting FEMA.  
    Photo Caption: Senator Welch speaks with Vermonters at his Listening Session in Barre. 
    In Barre, Senator Welch also celebrated the opening of the Vermont Innovation, Efficiency, Weatherization (VIEW) Center, a new weatherization training center funded by a grant from the U.S. Department of Energy, made possible by the Inflation Reduction Act. Senator Welch championed weatherization funding and helped pass the Inflation Reduction Act as a member of the House of Representatives. Vermont’s weatherization assistance program helps eligible Vermont households with energy audits, heating system check-ups, energy efficient lighting and appliance upgrades, and weatherization renovation services. 
    Photo Caption: Senator Welch celebrates the opening of the VIEW training center 
    Montpelier: Senator Welch met with community leaders, city officials, businesses, and the Montpelier Commission on Recovery and Resilience. Attendees discussed red tape in FEMA’s Public Assistance program, and ways we can improve long-term flood recovery for Montpelier and communities across Vermont.  
    Photo Caption: Senator Welch meets with the Montpelier Commission on Recovery and Resilience 
    Senator Welch has been outspoken in opposing any attempt by the Trump Administration to dismantle FEMA. Earlier this year, Senator Welch published a guest essay in The New York Times entitled: “Don’t Kill FEMA. Fix It.” In his op-ed, Senator Welch outlined why President Trump’s actions to undermine and potentially dissolve FEMA are misguided—but also committed to working with the President on good faith efforts to reform the agency’s long-term recovery process.    
    In December 2024, Senator Welch helped shape and pass a comprehensive disaster aid package, which delivered more than $100.4 billion of relief for states like Vermont recovering from climate disasters. The disaster aid package contained many of Senator Welch’s top priorities for the State: dedicated help for Vermont’s flood-impacted farmers, flexible spending through the Community Development Block Grant-Disaster Relief fund, money for FEMA’s Disaster Relief Fund, and support for businesses, among many other important provisions.   

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • Iran’s president says Tehran open to dialogue with US, accuses Israel of assassination attempt

    Source: Government of India

    Source: Government of India (4)

    Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said he believes Iran can resolve its differences with the United States through dialogue, but trust would be an issue after U.S. and Israeli attacks on his country, according to an interview released on Monday.

    “I am of the belief that we could very much easily resolve our differences and conflicts with the United States through dialogue and talks,” Pezeshkian told conservative U.S. podcaster Tucker Carlson in an interview conducted on Saturday.

    The Iranian leader urged U.S. President Donald Trump not to be drawn into war with Iran by Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu, who is visiting Washington on Monday for talks at the White House.

    “The United States’ president, Mr. Trump, he is capable enough to guide the region towards the peace and a brighter future and put Israel in its place. Or get into a pit, an endless pit, or a swamp,” Pezeshkian said. “So it is up to the United States president to choose which path.”

    White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said she was not sure if Trump had seen the Iranian president’s comments, but agreed he was the right man to move the region towards peace.

    Pezeshkian blamed Israel, Iran’s arch-enemy, for the collapse of talks that were in place when Israel began its strikes on Iran on June 13, starting a 12-day air war with Israel in which top Iranian commanders and nuclear scientists were killed.

    “How are we going to trust the United States again?” Pezeshkian said. “How can we know for sure that in the middle of the talks the Israeli regime will not be given the permission again to attack us?”

    Pezeshkian also said that Israel tried to assassinate him.

    “They did try, yes,” he said. “They acted accordingly, but they failed.”

    Israel did not immediately respond to the allegation. A senior Israeli military official said last month that Israel killed more than 30 senior security officials and 11 senior nuclear scientists in its attack on to Iran’s nuclear sites.

    Trump said he expected to discuss Iran and its nuclear ambitions with Netanyahu, praising the U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear sites as a tremendous success. On Friday, he told reporters that he believed Tehran’s nuclear program had been set back permanently, although Iran could restart efforts elsewhere.

    Iran has always denied seeking a nuclear weapon.

    -Reuters

  • MIL-OSI USA: Jayapal Statement on Termination of TPS for Honduras, Nicaragua

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal (7th District of Washington)

    SEATTLE, WA — U.S. Representative Pramila Jayapal, Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Immigration, Integrity, Security, and Enforcement, released the following statement regarding the Trump Administration’s decision to terminate Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Hondurans and Nicaraguans:

    “The purpose of the TPS program is to offer legal status to people whose home countries are too dangerous to return to. The revocation of TPS is out of touch with the reality of conditions in Honduras and Nicaragua — and even the State Department’s own analyses of these countries. These are legal designations that have existed under Presidents of both parties – this is just another attack on our legal system that will affect thousands of lives.

    “ The people whose legal status will be terminated are not the ‘worst of the worst’ as Trump promised he would focus on. They are people who have been in the United States for decades — working, raising families, and contributing to our economy and communities. 

    “Forcing these people to leave the lives they’ve built to return to dangerous conditions is outrageous. And let me be clear — TPS is legal immigration. We must work to protect this program and other means of legal immigration from Trump’s continued attacks on our legal system.”

    TPS is a designation that temporarily allows foreign nationals who are already in the United States to remain lawfully during periods that would prevent the country’s nationals from returning safely. Since coming to office, Trump has moved to end TPS status for Afghanistan, Cameroon, Haiti, Honduras, Nepal, Nicaragua, and Venezuela.

    Issues: Immigration

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Feenstra Celebrates President Trump Signing “One, Big, Beautiful Bill” into Law

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Randy Feenstra (IA-04)

    WASHINGTON, D.C. — On Friday July 4th, U.S. Rep. Randy Feenstra (R-Hull) released the following statement after attending the signing ceremony for President Trump’s “One, Big, Beautiful Bill.”

    “It was an honor to be watch President Trump sign into law the ‘One, Big, Beautiful Bill.’ This legislation is the largest tax cut for Iowa families, farmers, workers, seniors, and small businesses in history. It will grow our economy, keep our border secure, unleash American energy production, and invest in our military. I thank President Trump for his leadership and mission making the ‘One, Big, Beautiful Bill’ the law of the land.”

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: US President announces introduction of 25% tariffs on goods from Japan and South Korea

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –

    An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

    Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News

    NEW YORK, July 7 (Xinhua) — U.S. President Donald Trump said on social media on Monday that import duties of 25 percent will be imposed on goods from Japan and the Republic of Korea (ROK) starting Aug. 1.

    In letters addressed to the President of the Republic of Korea and the Prime Minister of Japan, published on the social network Truth Social, D. Trump noted that the new tariff will be separate from all other industry duties.

    In nearly identical letters, the American leader wrote: “Please understand that a rate of 25 percent is significantly less than what is required to eliminate the trade deficit we have with your country.”

    D. Trump warned that if the two countries respond by raising their tariffs, the United States will also increase its own proportionally.

    “As you know, there will be no tariffs if Korea or companies in your country decide to build or manufacture products in the United States. In fact, we will do everything we can to get approvals quickly, professionally, and efficiently — in other words, within weeks,” Trump wrote in one of the letters.

    The US president had previously indicated that he would send similar letters to about a dozen countries on Monday. –0–

    Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source of the information. It is an accurate report of what the source claims and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

    .

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Rosen Condemns Trump Administration’s Cancelling of TPS Protections for Nicaraguans and Hondurans

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Jacky Rosen (D-NV)
    WASHINGTON, DC – Today, U.S. Senator Jacky Rosen (D-NV) released a statement following new reporting on the Trump Administration’s decision to end Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for tens of thousands of immigrants from Nicaragua and Honduras—putting them at risk of deportation and tearing families apart.
    “TPS recipients from Nicaragua and Honduras fled devastation more than 20 years ago, and they have since built their lives in the U.S. — raising children, working and contributing to our economy, and enriching our communities,” said Senator Rosen. “Ending protections for law-abiding TPS recipients without comprehensive immigration reform that gives them a pathway to citizenship is cruel and reckless. This unconscionable action shows the lengths Donald Trump will go to push his extreme anti-immigrant agenda and rip families apart. It’s more important than ever before that Congress passes the SECURE Act, so we can permanently protect TPS recipients and their families”
    Senator Rosen has been a strong advocate for protecting TPS recipients and fighting back against Trump’s attacks on immigrant communities. She recently helped introduce the SECURE Act to provide permanent protections and a pathway to citizenship for TPS recipients. After the Supreme Court allowed Trump to revoke TPS for Venezuelans, Senator Rosen condemned the decision for putting families back into harm’s way. She has also urged the executive branch to act, joining colleagues in 2021 in calling on the Biden administration to expand and utilize TPS to protect vulnerable populations facing unsafe conditions in their home countries. Senator Rosen continues working to ensure immigrant families in Nevada and across the country are treated with dignity, compassion, and fairness under the law.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Politico Pro: Morning Tech: FIRST IN POLITICO: ANSWERS, PLS

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Massachusetts – Elizabeth Warren
    July 01, 2025
    In an 11th-hour blitz of letters to top tech CEOs last night, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) is demanding they disclose how much their companies stand to benefit if a key tax break is restored as part of Trump’s megabill.
    Tech emerged as a massive winner from Trump’s 2017 tax cuts, and Warren warned it could walk away with a windfall again. She accused Amazon’s Jeff Bezos, Apple’s Tim Cook, Alphabet’s Sundar Pichai, Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg and even Tesla’s Elon Musk of extensive lobbying to restore a lucrative benefit that lets the industry write off R&D expenses right away.
    “You have spent millions cozying up to President Trump and Congressional Republicans, and they now appear ready to return the favor by handing you billions of dollars in tax breaks – with American families footing the bill,” she wrote.
    …
    Read the full story here.
    By:  Anthony AdragnaSource: Politico Pro

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: ABC News: 175+ Democrats supporting NAACP suit against dismantling Department of Education

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Massachusetts – Elizabeth Warren
    July 03, 2025
    More than 175 Democratic members of Congress are filing an amicus brief on Thursday opposing the Trump administration’s overhaul of the U.S. Department of Education.
    “The law couldn’t be clearer: the president does not have the authority to unilaterally abolish the Department of Education,” Sen. Elizabeth Warren wrote in a statement first obtained by ABC News, adding, “Donald Trump is not a king, and he cannot single-handedly cut off access to education for students across this country.”
    Warren and ranking committee members Jamie Raskin on Judiciary, Bobby Scott on Education, and Rosa DeLauro on Appropriations lead the 15-page legal document. They’re joined by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, more than 20 Senate Democrats, and more than 150 other members of the House Democratic caucus.
    …
    Read the full story here.
    By:  Arthur Jones IISource: ABC News
    Previous Article

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Attorney General Bonta: ICE and CBP Must End Unlawful Practices in Los Angeles Immediately

    Source: US State of California

    OAKLAND – California Attorney General Rob Bonta today led a multistate coalition in submitting an amicus brief in Vasquez Perdomo et al. v Noem et al., supporting plaintiffs seeking a temporary restraining order to enjoin the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) from engaging in unconstitutional and unlawful stops of Los Angeles residents during immigration sweeps. The lawsuit comes amid the Trump Administration conducting aggressive, militaristic immigration raids in Los Angeles that have terrified immigrant and non-immigrant residents alike, chilled community members’ participation in civic society, and impeded law enforcement and public safety. 

    “The actions of ICE and CBP during the raids in Los Angeles are part of a cruel and familiar pattern of attacks on our immigrant communities by an administration that thrives on fear and division,” said Attorney General Rob Bonta. “Let me be crystal clear: These raids are not about safety or justice. They are about meeting enforcement quotas and striking fear in our communities. We won’t be silent. We won’t back down. We will continue to hold the federal government accountable when it violates the Constitution and federal law.” 

    “The Fourth Amendment protects every person from unreasonable searches and seizures,” said Governor Gavin Newsom. “Instead of targeting dangerous criminals, federal agents are detaining U.S. citizens, ripping families apart, and vanishing people to meet indiscriminate arrest quotas without regard to due process and constitutional rights that protect all of us from cruelty and injustice. Their actions imperil the fabric of our democracy, society, and economy. This isn’t law and order — it’s cruelty and chaos. We stand solidly in support of progress, of the law, and the foundation upon which our founding fathers built this great nation.”

    During his presidential campaign, President Donald Trump promised an aggressive and militarized crackdown on undocumented immigration, praising a 1954 enforcement initiative under President Dwight D. Eisenhower, offensively named “Operation Wetback,” that involved the mass arrest and deportation of 300,000 people, including U.S. citizens. Unfortunately, history is repeating itself. Masked immigration agents are conducting unannounced enforcement actions throughout California communities and, in all too many instances, stopping residents without so much as a reasonable suspicion of unlawful conduct, leaving people afraid to leave their homes. The dragnet has resulted in U.S. citizens being wrongfully detained and has created a culture of fear and COVID-style ghost towns.

    In their motion for a temporary restraining order, plaintiffs allege that ICE and CBP have a policy and practice of engaging in unconstitutional stops that are not based on a reasonable, individualized suspicion of unlawful presence, but are instead based on racial profiling.

    In today’s amicus brief, the attorneys general support the plaintiffs, arguing that preliminary injunctive relief is in the public interest because: 

    • CBP and ICE engaging in unlawful stops of Californians without a reasonable suspicion of unlawful activity has harmed local economies, public health, and several other core facets of daily life.
    • Federal law enforcement’s tactics in conducting these stops, which include wearing masks and concealing the law enforcement entity they work for, have impeded local law enforcement and threatened public safety. 

    This amicus brief comes after Attorney General Bonta filed a lawsuit against the Trump Administration challenging the President’s order to federalize the California National Guard and redirect hundreds of Marines to Los Angeles. 

    In submitting the brief, Attorney General Bonta is joined by the attorneys general of Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Massachusetts, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Nevada, Oregon, Vermont, and Washington.

    A copy of the amicus brief, which is subject to court approval, can be found here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Gov. Pillen Praises Passage of One Big Beautiful Bill

    Source: US State of Nebraska

    . Pillen Praises Passage of One Big Beautiful Bill

     

    LINCOLN, NE – Governor Jim Pillen released the following statement after the U.S. House of Representatives voted to pass the ‘One, Big, Beautiful’ reconciliation bill.

    “The vast majority of Nebraskans support President Trump’s vision for his America First Agenda. This legislation is foundational to extending tax cuts for families, boosting our military, securing our borders, and growing agriculture. Despite attempts by Democrats to run the clock on this bill, Republicans – especially Nebraska’s Congressional delegation – deserve a lot of credit for working day and night to deliver policy that puts our state and country on a trajectory of great growth.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: Gaza: ‘Unbearable’ suffering continues, UN official tells Security Council

    Source: United Nations 4

    Briefing ambassadors in the Security Council, Assistant Secretary-General for the Middle East Khaled Khiari said more than 1,000 Palestinians had been killed since mid-June alone, many of them while seeking aid.

    Citing figures from the Gazan health authorities, he reported that the total number of Palestinian fatalities since 7 October 2023 had surpassed 56,500.

    “The level of suffering and brutality in Gaza is unbearable,” Mr. Khiari said. “The continued collective punishment of the Palestinian people is unjustifiable.”

    Killed trying to access aid

    Mr. Khiari cited multiple incidents involving the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) opening fire near food distribution points.

    On 17 June, at least 50 people were killed and 200 injured in Khan Younis when an IDF tank opened fire on a crowd waiting for UN World Food Programme (WFP) aid trucks.

    Once again a week later, IDF troops reportedly opened fire near Gaza Humanitarian Foundation sites, this time killing 49 Palestinians and injuring 197 others.

    “We strongly condemn the loss of lives and injuries of Palestinians seeking aid in Gaza,” Mr. Khiari said. “We call for an immediate and independent investigation into these events and for perpetrators to be held accountable.”

    He emphasised that the UN “will not participate in any aid delivery modality that does not comply with the fundamental humanitarian principles of humanity, impartiality, independence, and neutrality,” a sentiment which other UN officials have repeatedly said as well.

    Strong condemnation

    Mr. Khiari reiterated the UN’s strong condemnation of Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups for their attacks in Israel, which killed over 1,200 people and led to more than 250 being taken hostage. Fifty hostages, including one woman, remain in captivity.

    “Nothing can justify these acts of terror. We remain appalled that hostages may be subjected to ongoing ill-treatment and that the bodies of hostages continue to be withheld,” he said.

    At the same time, he also condemned “the widespread killing and injury of civilians in Gaza, including children and women, and the destruction of homes, schools, hospitals and mosques.”

    Rising violence in the West Bank

    In the occupied West Bank, Israeli raids and settler violence have escalated.  

    Mr. Khiari reported that a 15-year-old boy and an elderly woman were killed in separate incidents on 25 June. Armed settlers also killed several Palestinians during attacks in Surif and Kafr Malik.

    “The escalating violence in the occupied West Bank is alarming,” Khiari said, warning that military operations and settler expansion are leading to fatalities, displacement and destruction.

    Iran-Israel ceasefire brings hope to the region

    Mr. Khiari concluded his briefing with comments on the wider Middle East region, particularly the recent flare-up between Israel and Iran.

    He welcomed the 24 June ceasefire agreement between the two countries, announced by US President Donald Trump, and credited US and Qatari mediation.

    “We hope that this ceasefire can be replicated in the other conflicts in the region – nowhere is this more needed than in Gaza,” he said.

    MIL OSI United Nations News –